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If you’re like most working people, a large portion of your life
is spent trying to turn the job you have into the position you
want. If you’re in an entry-level job, making that leap can seem
nearly impossible. After all, high-level positions require having
the appropriate experience. So what do you do?

Conventional wisdom says: Stick it out. Work your way up the
corporate ladder, be as perfect as you can at your current job,
do your best to make it seem like you could perform that dream
job, and hopefully your boss will someday notice.

It’s not a bad plan, but if your boss doesn’t recognize your
merit, it won’t matter how well you perform. You’ll still end up
stuck. Even if things do work out, it’s a very slow game.
Climbing the ladder to your dream job can take 20 years or more
-- and if you’re ambitious (or impatient), you don’t have that
time to wait.

Luckily, there’s a bona fide way to accelerate your career past
corporate obstacles and catapult yourself into your dream job.
And it’s all about getting things done off the job.

If that seems totally ludicrous to you, I don’t blame you:
Starting a full-fledged business can be a huge time drain.
Luckily, you do not need to start a full-fledged business, just a
tiny one.

In the words
of Richard Branson, “People hang back because they think that
becoming an entrepreneur means committing all your savings to an
idea on blind faith. But often you can start small and build up
to something bigger.”

By committing a few hours each week, you can quickly start
racking up a few sales, begin learning the real-world skills it
takes to be a marketer -- and radically improve your resume.
You’ll be able to sell yourself as a real, successful marketer,
with the proof to back it up.

Even if you achieve only modest sales numbers, a future employer
might not delve into those details. Instead you'll seem
like a successful, go-getting entrepreneur with the kind of
advanced mind needed for high-level positions.

Branching out into a new industry can be extremely beneficial.
Gaining know-how in multiple fields doesn’t just broaden your
horizons: It also lets you meld the principles from multiple
businesses in innovative ways (think of how Uber blended smart
software with the transportation industry).

For entrepreneurs and startup employees, the benefits of tackling
a side project is that it might lead to your eventual launch
of whole new business. Besides you never know when
a small side business could turn into a huge pivot opportunity
for your current company: Groupon was started as a side
project, according to The Next Web.

Most people think that if they want to move their way up the
food chain at their company, they need to display the subtle
traits that seem promotable: Showing up to work on
time, meeting project deadlines and exceeding expectations when
possible.

Sure, your bosses love a good, reliable employee, but when
hiring for high-level positions, the candidates that shine are
those who already clearly know what they’re doing (often
because they learned off the job).

If you’re an intern trying to become a programmer, don’t just
be reliable or pray for a training program to come your way.
Take things into your own hands and learn a programming
language in your free time.

Don’t just spend your days trying to seem reliable. Take some
time to better yourself and get ready for your next move.
You’ll be better for it, and your company will be thankful for
your new skill set.

Let’s face it: Even when you gain all the skills needed from
somewhere off the job, if there aren’t promotions available in
your division, you’re still out of luck.

For entrepreneurial types, time is everything, and when the
path between you and your goal is 10 years long, you don’t have
time to waste.

If you’re ready for the next step and your company doesn’t
agree, ask your boss for a lateral move to a new division.
Studies show that 73 percent of managers consider
themselves willing or extremely willing to help facilitate
lateral moves, according to a Millennial Branding study of
managers.

If you play your cards right, a smart lateral move can help you
quickly move up a rung on the ladder and diversify your skill
set.